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STENA STÅL - From bottlenecks to big projects
“Before we had a yearly production of about 6000 to 7000 tons per year on two shifts. Now we have a line that can actually run 27,000 tons on two shifts, which is a remarkable improvement.”
Anders Tiger
Technical & Maintenance Manager, Stena Stål
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Multi System Integration (MSI) >>
Fully automated integrated production line.
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Take control of your factory.
THE CHALLENGE
Before Voortman, Stena Stål relied on older, semi-automatic equipment. The saw line and painting systems were prone to breakdowns. Each process was separate: blasting, painting, drilling, milling and sawing, creating delays and inefficiencies.
“We couldn’t always promise delivery times,” Anders said. “Even our sales team hesitated because they weren’t confident we could meet them.” On top of that, Stena Stål was often excluded from larger projects because it lacked the ability to deliver pre-processed, ready-to-use steel.
ABOUT THE COMPANY
Stena Stål is a leading steel distributor based in Västerås, Sweden. With one of the country’s largest assortments of steel products, the company serves customers across all of Sweden from the Arctic Circle to the southern border. But growing demand and outdated machinery were slowing things down. Technical & Maintenance Manager Anders Tiger was tasked with finding a solution that could handle more and handle it faster, without losing the flexibility customers relied on.
The initial plan was to replace the shot blasting and painting line. But once Anders discovered what Voortman offered, he saw potential for a much bigger change. What began as a targeted upgrade quickly evolved into a complete reinvestment: a fully automated, end-to-end Voortman production line.
THE SOLUTION
Voortman delivered the largest investment in Stena Stål’s history. The new Multi System Integration (MSI) line included high-speed drilling and milling, dual saws, blasting, painting, and fully integrated material handling. All within the existing facility.
To get the most out of the new line’s efficiency, both Stena Stål and Voortman spent significant time rethinking internal logistics. Together, they reorganized how material flows through the facility. High-volume products were placed closer to loading points, reducing crane movement and streamlining operations. “The more we reduce time spent moving things around, the more value we get from the line itself,” Anders said.
Alongside the machinery, Stena Stål implemented LogicSteel MRP and PRODUCTIVITY software. These systems manage everything from nesting and planning to real-time monitoring and traceability, tying together the physical and digital workflows for end-to-end control.
One of the most powerful aspects of the Voortman setup is its built-in traceability. At Stena Stål, every steel profile is scanned from the moment it leaves storage. That scan links each beam to its production order, charge number, and job requirements.
“It doesn’t matter if we cut a beam into ten pieces,” said Anders. “The system automatically prints the right labels for every part, each one with the correct data. From charge number to location, everything is tracked”.
This ensures customers get full traceability and minimizes confusion at dispatch. Large, complex jobs involving hundreds of parts are now easier to manage and far less prone to error.
“With Voortman, we moved from standalone machines and delays to one smooth, reliable flow. The difference shows every day. ”
Anders Tiger, Technical & Maintenance Manager
LOGICSTEEL: SMOOTHER WORK PREPARATION,
SMARTER FLOW
For Design Engineer Kornelijus Berg, LogicSteel MRP has transformed the way work preparation happens. “We used to manually check every single beam to see how it should be oriented or processed, a boring task and easy to get wrong,” he explained. “Now LogicSteel automates that. It recognizes the right orientation based on the operations needed and nests projects across beams efficiently”.
It also allows for multiple projects to be batched together if they share material types , saving time and reducing scrap. The system accounts for length, orientation, operations, and even beam rotation limitations on machines, like the V631. “It’s not just time-saving, it eliminates human error,” Kornelijus added. “That alone makes a huge difference in quality and throughput”.
Regular feedback loops with Voortman’s developers helped improve usability. Updates are pushed out regularly to streamline common tasks and reduce unnecessary steps. “You can tell the developers actually understand what we do. They listen and improve it,” he said.
NEW POSSIBILITIES
With Voortman’s integrated line, Stena Stål can now process up to 27,000 tons per year, compared to 6,000–7,000 previously. Lead times are shorter, traceability is fully automated, and the company can now serve both small businesses and large construction projects.
For Stena Stål, the new setup opens doors. “We’ll always supply single bars and small orders,” said Anders. “But now we can also win the big projects, the ones we couldn’t even think to bid on before.”
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